Stirling S Newberry wrote:

>. . . early death is a pervasive theme of Romantic poetry, and a
>subtext of a great deal of Enlightenment poetry.  The subject called forth
>expression in the poetry of Keats, in the poetry of Tennyson.  It is the
>subtext of Schubert's "Death and the Maiden", Chopin's funeral march and
>a host of others.

Death is still very much a reality.  Progress has helped somewhat in
extending life expectancy, but children still die and people still lose
their homes.  There are a host of mini-deaths, broken dreams, shattering
disappointments.  Life still can be very sad.  Sterlings comments beg the
question, "Why are we so unhappy when we have it so good?"

Should we moderns feel an increased happiness over those in Schubert's
or Tennyson's day in age? One must take into account the extraordinary
prevalence of neurosis in our day that they didn't have then.  It is
somewhat embarrassing to live in the most comfortable time in history and
not be happy.  We have electric razors, antibiotics, VCRs orthodontia, etc.

I think in Liszt's time, people generally speaking, did not expect
happiness.  Somewhere, however, that changed.  I don't know when.  We
started expecting happiness.  We no longer think about death.  Our lives
are filled with a multitude of diversions so we don't have to.

Mark